Categories TTW Ephemera

472 posts

The default category. For uncategorized articles or articles that don’t fit elsewhere.

Digital Creation Stations

This blows me away. It says what I’ve been trying to articulate here and in talks. We need spaces in our libraries for collaboration and experience with Web 2.0 tools. Thomas Frey offers the same suggestion in his piece on the Future of Libraies, that we all should read over and discuss in our respective staff meetings. http://www.davinciinstitute.com/page.php?ID=120 Experiment with creative spaces so the future role of the library can define itself. Since the role of the library 20 years from now is still a mystery, we recommend that libraries put together creative spaces so staff members, library users, and […]

Meredith & Karen Address the IT Dept

” It seems like at a lot of schools, the IT department controls every technology choice. Rather than educating faculty members on how to create wikis and blogs and use other cool technologies in the classroom, they keep faculty on a tight leash.” Meredith Farkas “One key justification for using virtual reference software rather than instant messaging software, shared with me at the state conference last week, is that many city IT departments don’t allow IM software. Which leads me to conclude: 1. Many city IT departments are too godlike, 2. Many libraries are unable to effectively work with IT […]

On the Radar: opencroquet.org

When Chris Jowaissis points something like this out in a session, in an IM to me and notes it on the Technobiblio Blog, it’s one to keep on your radar: http://www.opencroquet.org/ From the bit I’ve read, it’s the beginnings of what may become a 3-D collaborative online environment. Imagine, if you will, a cyber library think tank populated by all of our colleagues. There we might create and enhance learning, services and future initiatives. Wowza! The LiB is right: I’ll need to get a stylish avatar to move through these new spaces!

Abram-isms

I could sit and listen to Stephen Abram (and Jenny Levine) talk libraries all day! Here are some of my favorites from our time together at CPL: Abram-isms: “The next step in libraries is what are we going to do to ‘trick’ our new users to use the library.” “Technology needs to take a step back, like utilities, like heat and light, and let the services and people come forward.” “You must have a vision of the future, or you will always be stuck in the present, over and over again.” “DVDs and CDs will be extinct by 2012.” (See […]

University of Michigan Library pilots IM service

Via Sherri I am tickled that they are piloting and being so up front: “During Fall semester 2005, Ask Us Now! will pilot a new enhanced real-time reference component using AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). If you do not have the AOL Instant Messenger installed on your computer, we recommend that you use the “classic” Ask Us Now! service. Help us evaluate instant messaging with AOL’s IM software! The University Library is conducting a pilot of IM for answering your library- and research-related questions.” I hope the students, staff and faculty use the service and the library reports out on their […]

UPDATE: Two Indiana Librarians Weighs In on How Their Libraries are Doing!

I wrote about Indiana and the study that found we are tech poor in the state last week. Here’s a neat post from Winnie, where she mentions the study as well as her experiences at IL05. Note that even a small library can have success with tech and be ahead of the game! http://allthingsw.blogspot.com/2005/11/technology-librarians-and-indiana-how.html “Now, in general, I think that New Castle and Henry County are behind in the tech wave that?s been coming at us for the past few years. But, I do think that NCHCPL is doing a good job of staying on top. For instance, Google has […]